Batch toaster

Details Batch toaster Batch toaster

2000-05-12

2001-07-31

Simone, Timothy F. (Department: 1761)

Foods and beverages: apparatus

Cooking

Automatic control

C099S3290RT, C099S3290RT, C099S385000, C099S389000, C099S391000, C099S390000, C219S386000, C219S521000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06267044

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
Batch type toasters and batch type ovens have been used for centuries. In recent years there have been many batch type toaster-ovens. Toasters have a nominally vertical structure wherein the bread or other food to be toasted is first lowered to toasting position either manually or automatically, the toasting elements which are initially at room temperature, then heat up slowly to a toasting temperature and during this slow heat-up the food becomes partially dehydrated before the toasting process begins. The toasting (browning) process of the food or bread further dehydrates the food, the degree of dehydration depending heavily on the time required for the browning. If the browning or toasting takes more than 2-3 minutes, the food—particularly bread can be severely dehydrated and the result, if toasting, is a very dry product like Melba toast. Some people prefer such dry, hard, and moisture “free” toast, but the vast majority of users complain that the resulting toast is tasteless and much too dry. Modern toasters have not discovered the means to toast while retaining much of the original moisture in the bread and such foods. One of the main reasons why freshly baked bread with its crusty exterior is so universally appealing is its high degree of retained water. That appeal is quickly lost after a few hours and day-old bread is vastly less appealing because of the much greater loss of moisture. Retained moisture is critically important to taste, texture and flavor of bread, cakes, cookies and similar foods as well as toast.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
An object of this invention is to provide within an automatic batch type toaster the optimum thermal conditions for either toasting, baking, warming, defrosting or combinations thereof. The conventional geometry of toasters and the toasting elements create relatively dry and unappetizing toast and such toasting environments are not satisfactory for quality baking, defrosting, or warming. Each of these cooking processes require carefully controlled thermal and radiant environments in order to produce an optimum cooked product.
The unique design of this toaster/baker creates optimum thermal and radiant environments for these very different cooking procedures. The designs of this invention are sufficiently flexible to permit the user a wide choice of texture and retained moisture of the toasted bread, or the baked products. There has not in fact been a toaster with the unique features offered here for optimum toasting or an oven with the many novel features which this invention includes. These are described here separately and in combination for a better understanding of the uniqueness of this new cooking system.
In the subject toaster, the loss of moisture from the bread/toast for example is reduced by 35% or more depending on: (a) the bulk or thickness of the bread or food and; (b) the relative “heat up” time of the elements; (c) the temperature of the toasting element; (d) the ambient air temperature during both “heat up” and “toasting”; (e) the physical juxtaposition of the food and the heating elements; and (f) the circulation or movement of the air over the food surfaces during preheat and toasting.
The invention relates to a batch type household toaster that has a receptacle or holding compartment for the sliced bread that is remote from the toasting compartment and automatically holds the bread in that receptacle until the toasting elements reach an efficient toasting temperature and until that time isolates the bread from the drying effects that otherwise occur during the preheating period. Only when the toasting elements reach an efficient toasting temperature is the bread automatically transferred to the toasting chamber. That transfer must occur rapidly enough to minimize drying of the bread during transport. By this means the entire toasting cycle occurs under optimum toasting conditions. Toasting occurs quicker than in conventional toasters and the resulting toast is moister, less dry, tastier and more appetizing. The toast has a crisper exterior and is more moisture inside. It is in sharp contrast to Melba toast which is dry throughout its thickness. (For those who prefer drier toast automatic controls can be added to this new toaster so that the bread is moved into the toasting chamber before the heat-up begins, thus drying the bread somewhat before toasting occurs.)


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